


There's No Going Back

by Arcadianfire



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Family Dynamics, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23047336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcadianfire/pseuds/Arcadianfire
Summary: There were three things Captain Malcolm Reynolds loved most in the 'Verse: his boat, his crew, and his daughter.When one of their less than legal business ventures goes south, courtesy of the Reavers, the crew of Serenity will finally face the past they have been running from for far too long.Why is the name Miranda so important to River? Why did Inara leave? What power in the Verse can stop Serenity when her crew means to misbehave?Follows the plot of Serenity, but with more family, more characters, and much more to lose.
Relationships: Hoban Washburne/Zoë Washburne, Jayne Cobb/River Tam, Kaylee Frye/Simon Tam, Malcolm Reynolds/Inara Serra, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	There's No Going Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to another unoriginal fic wherein the author (me) sticks in a bunch of OC kids to try and make the plot of Serenity more interesting.
> 
> This fic is planned out beyond the end of Serenity - but it will definitely go AU. Fair warning.
> 
> Oh, and any Mandarin comes either from the show or Google translate - apologies in advance if any of the translations are wrong.
> 
> Any dialogue you recognise belongs to the film. I'm borrowing it, but I hope not as much as I might've.
> 
> In case you're wondering, the reason for Mal's daughter's name will be discussed later.

"Faster, faster would be better!" Mal's voice was tinged with a hint of panic. For the past thirteen years, the Reavers had stuck to their established territory, folk having to deal with their occasional raids. Now, though, with upwards of nine kids on his boat, Mal had no wish to deal with the murdering monsters. He wasn't going to risk his Firefly, he wasn't going to risk any of them. Not if he had anything to say about it. "Wash! What in the gorram hell are you doin'? I want my boat in the air, yesterday!"  
"I'm a little tied up here, Mal!" Wash's voice was muffled, even over the transmission. Captain Reynolds was not pleased. Now he knew exactly what was going on.  
"Malcolm Rexford Washburn, listen to me very carefully" Mal growled, firing at the hulking ship following the Mule II. "I know you know how to pilot my ship, so I need you to do it, right now. Dong ma?"  
"You got it, Uncle Mal!" Rex's voice chirped cheerfully. "Um, Aunt Kaylee's also a little tied up. So I'll get Serra into the engine room. It'll be shiny."  
"Shiny? No, Rexford, it's not shiny!" Mal yelled, swearing a blue streak as another barrage nearly hit them. "We got Reavers comin' in, hot!" He glared over at Jayne, unable to believe his eyes. "What in the gorram hell is that? I said no grenades, Jayne!"  
"Open mike here, Daddy" his Firefly giggled, all girlish sweetness and perfection - she was his daughter, he was allowed to think so. "If you've got Reavers inbound, we'll meet you there. Tell Aunt Zoe we're going for a barn swallow. It'll be fun. Rick! Get ready to hit the doors!"  
"Why are you always implicating me in your schemes?" Rick complained sounding as usual exactly like his father, Simon.  
"Get off the gorram channel!" Jayne snapped, tossing a grenade. Zoe glared over at them, executing a particularly risky move to get rid of one of their pursuers.  
"I'm going to be groundin' so many kids when I get back onboard" Mal muttered, saving Jayne's ass again. "Rex, no barrel rolls, dong ma?"  
"Sorry Uncle Mal" Rex said apologetically. "I'm takin' orders from temporary acting Captain Reynolds. Fair warning, we're going for an Ivan."  
"Not with my gorram ship you're not" Mal growled, cussing like the soldier he was.  
"Relax, Daddy" Firefly chirped, sounding like she was smiling. "It's gonna be fun."  
"We really need to have a serious conversation about your definition of fun, young lady" Simon's voice interrupted, also muffled. "Miranda locked me in the infirmary. Sorry, Mal."  
"Talk later" Zoe decided, swinging the mule into the cargo bay with ease. There was a bump and then a burst and they were breaking atmo again. Mal shot the Reaver stupid enough to come in with them and then stormed over to the intercom. "Everyone, kitchen, now!"  
"Jayne, free the Doc and Kaylee, I'll get Wash" Zoe ordered, letting Mal do what he had to do.  
______________________

Mal marched into the kitchen, face thunderous. "Would any of you care to conjure a reason as to why I'm more than unusually irked?"  
"It's a Friday?" Rex suggested with his usual cheek.  
"We ran out of Fruity Oaty Bars?" Jay offered, wilting under the glare from his mother - River.  
"Anyone?" Mal asked, tone feigning lightness. A girl that looked a lot like Inara, but with his eyes and hair and smile, took a sheepish step forward.  
"Because what we did, seemingly innocent as it was at the time, could have caused us to all die horribly at the hands of the Reavers."  
"Exactly" Mal agreed, voice barely above a growl. "So, Serenity Inara Reynolds, care to explain why you thought it would be a gorram good idea to nearly get yourselves killed?" Beside Serenity, the copy of Simon took a deep breath, anger flickering in his eyes.  
"It was my fault" Rick said carefully, ignoring the glare he got from Serenity.  
"Richard" Simon stepped forward. "Why?"  
"Mom was supposed to Wave" Serenity spoke up, tone soft, blue eyes distant. "She missed. It was only supposed to take my mind off it. Nothing bad was supposed to happen."  
"I should have seen that and stopped them before it got out of hand" Richard added, moving to stand right beside Serenity. Mal scrubbed a hand over his face and groaned, Simon seeming to understand his dilemma. Richard and Serenity were almost closer than Simon and River were, and had demonstrated on many occasions that there was almost nothing that they wouldn't do for one another - including go along with their harebrained schemes.  
"You all shoulda known better" Mal decided, frowning sternly at them. Sometimes he regretted agreeing to have kids on his boat - but once Serenity came along, he didn't really have much choice. "Richard, Rexford, Miranda, Serra, Jay, Grace, I'll let your parents sort out your punishments. Firefly, two weeks, grounded. Usual deal. And I ain't hearin' any complaints. Doctor, I'll want to see you later. I wager there's something we have a powerful need to talk over."  
"Of course, Captain" Simon agreed, sending a look over at Richard. "Richard Nathan Tam, you'll be stuck cleaning the infirmary for the next fortnight, but aside from that I'm actually proud of you."  
"Thanks, Dad" Richard muttered, still staunchly standing beside the only Reynolds child. There was nothing the fathers could do to separate the two, and nothing they wanted to do about it anyway. The others hustled their kids outta there, scolding already drifting to the captains ears.  
"When are we picking up Shepherd Book again?" Simon wondered, looking tired. They all were, it'd been a long stretch of difficult jobs and hardly any downtime.  
"Not soon enough" Mal decided, watching the inseparable duo walk off. "We'll go straight from Beaumont to Haven, might be that's there's somethin' there that might get us in the mood for celebratin'. Of course, I doubt it."  
"I don't think anything is going to stop Kaylee from celebrating" Simon smiled, taking a deep breath before trudging off after his son and Serenity. Simon was usually the one to deal with them. It made sense, Serenity adoring Simon like another father. Mal didn't worry, his daughter had to live without her mother, he'd never begrudge her another parental figure.  
_________________

Later that night, the teenagers were sullen, pretty much all of them glaring at their parents as they sat around the unusually silent dinner table. "This tastes like crotch" Jay announced, sounding just like his father. "Eerie-assed crotch."  
"Yep" Miranda agreed, nodding in agreement.  
"Don't agree with me" Jay glowered at his younger twin sister. "Makes me all kinds of uncomfortable. It's unnatural, is what it is" Miranda stuck her tongue out at him, Serra giggling happily at the Cobb twins.  
"You're not eating, Serenity" Simon noticed, blue eyes shining with concern. Serenity pushed her plate back with some force.  
"Not hungry."  
"Àirèn?" Richard's forehead was creased in worry just like his fathers.  
"Just not hungry, Rick. 'Sides, Jay's right. This does taste awful funny."  
"That's because Uncle Simon cooked" Miranda chirped, every bit the copy of River.  
"Uncle Simon's cooking isn't that bad" Serenity protested, mostly feeling that somebody should.  
"Thank you" Simon smiled, Mal rolling his eyes at the group he called family.  
"It's nothing a few cooking lessons couldn't handle, anyway" Grace Washburn grinned, an expression that still looked odd on a face so like her mothers.  
"Hey" Simon held out his hands, looking offended.  
"Sorry Doc, but they're right" Zoe said fairly, River grinning at the look on Simon's face.  
"I can see it now" Richard grinned. "Lesson One: How To Burn Water by Dr Simon Tam."  
"Lesson Two" Serenity giggled, knowing where Richard was going with this. "Uncle Simon cooks crotch."  
"Language" River chided playfully. Serenity giggled and Richard's eyes twinkled.  
"What's lesson three?" Rex wondered. "How to get food poisoning from a doctor?"  
"Enough, you three" Kaylee chided, mischief in her eyes. "Simon tried his best. Protein isn't the most versatile of foods."  
"Not the way Uncle Simon cooks it" Rex muttered, voice carrying. Jay choked on the mouthful he'd just finished, Miranda 'helpfully' slapping him on the back until he stopped spluttering.  
"That's enough" Mal sighed, looking heartily put upon. "I want to hear no more jokes about the Doc's appalling cooking skills, and I want those plates cleaned, or I'll leave you all with Badger when we next land on Persephone."  
"Persephone isn't home, Daddy" Serenity chirped innocently, only a keen eye spotting the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "There's too many people we have to avoid there." Zoe sent her an approving look.  
"She's just like you, Sir."  
"Hopefully not too much" Mal muttered, only the adults understanding him. He'd lied, killed, led men and women in battle, stolen, cheated and committed nearly every sin on record, and he'd messed up the only good relationship he'd ever had with a woman; the love of his life, Serenity's mother, Inara.  
"Just the right amount" Richard announced warmly, Serenity beaming at him.  
"You know" Serra spoke up brightly. "I sometimes feel sorry for Badger."  
"Me too" Serenity agreed, smiling down the table at Mal, who raised his eyebrow in a sort of morbid curiosity. "It's like you say, Daddy, I'm guessing he's not-"  
"Overburdened with an abundance of schooling" Mal finished, smiling. "You're gorram right, Firefly."  
"Swearing at the dinner table, Mal?" Wash faked scandalism. "However will we continue?" Mal fixed him with a look.  
"Wash, your son can fly my boat. Remind me why I'll be needing you again?"  
"Because Zoe would kill you in your sleep?" Wash suggested hopefully. Zoe glanced between Mal and Wash, a thoughtful gleam in her dark eyes.  
"It could be that I'd do that, Sir." Mal's second in command tilted her head. "On the other hand, every mother wants the best for her child, and a solid career at thirteen is good for my son." Wash glared at his wife, the perfect picture of offence.  
"Lambytoes!"  
"Dad!" Rex was bright red, mortified by his father. Jay snickered into the crotch-tasting protein. Mal just hid a smile and shook his head; only his crew, only his family could be this dysfunctionallyfunctional. Serenity and Rick giggled together at the bottom of the table. Loud bleeping interrupted the family atmosphere, Wash checking the alert while Mal sighed.  
"We're an hour out of Beaumont, shall we wait before waving Fanti and Mingo?"  
"No" Mal shook his head. "Let's get this over and done with. We've got to pick up Shepherd Book tomorrow." His crew watched intently, waiting for his orders. "Jayne, Kaylee, you're comin' with me. Doc, River, watch over the kids. Zoe, Wash, pick up those supplies we need - we never know when the Alliance is going to show up on our tails." Mal watched his crew, his family, ready for the night, and fought back an uneasy feeling; something just didn't feel right.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
